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NiP Shock Astralis in Copenhagen – BLAST Pro Series Day One

Ninjas in Pyjamas have shocked tournament favourites Astralis in the group stage of the BLAST Pro Series.

Astralis started their matchup strongly, building a commanding 11-4 lead on the first half of Overpass. However, NiP were able to pull off a miraculous comeback, winning the second half 12-3 to take the map 16-14.

The driving force behind NiP’s comeback was Fredrik ‘REZ’ Sterner. The youngster of the team was able to pick up a number of crucial kills, most notably scoring a triple kill to secure a retake and take a 15-14 lead.

There was another upset in the match between Cloud9 and Made in Brazil. For medical reasons, Cloud9 has been playing without in-game leader Maikil ‘Golden’ Selim. Replacing him has been coach Soham ‘valens’ Chowdhury. This handicap led many to believe that Cloud9 would fail to win any maps at this tournament.

Valens performed admirably for Cloud9, scoring the highest number of first kills in the game. He dominated Stewie2k, scoring seven kills against his former player and minimising the amount of damage Stewie was able to do. Valens’ solid performance allowed his team to control the match and take a 16-13 victory.

Faze Clan and NiP head into tomorrow in the finalist’s spots, both picking up four points with Astralis, Cloud9 and NaVi just behind them on three points. MiBR finds themselves slightly adrift having failed to pick up any wins today, but could still make the final if results go their way.